Category Archives: Charitable Contribution

FUNDRAISING: it’s not too late to donate

We are excited to say that we have surpassed our fundraising goal of $187,000. It was because of YOU the school has the much needed supplies and support to help our children become successful in academics and in the community.

It takes a village to raise a child, and we are THAT village.  – Nazleen, Fundraising Chair

 

However, as we look forward to next school year, there are changes ahead. Those changes will depend on HOW we act now.  As you know, our math curriculum is in jeopardy as The Seattle Public Schools Math Adoption Committee has recommended enVision Math for all Seattle schools.  We may need to fund our math program once again, which adds a potential $80,000 to next year’s fundraising budget that was not accounted for in in this year’s.

In order to continue and upgrade a math program that has not only enriched our children’s education, but will provide our teachers with valuable tools not previously available to them via Singapore Math, we need to have 100% participation in the One Campaign from our parent community.
Many families have given already, however we have a few in each class that have yet to do so.  Our goal was $320 per child but whatever amount is greatly appreciated and will help to offset the costs and fundraising budget for next year. Thank you to all the families who have generously supported and believed in Schmitz Park. Your financial support, whatever the amount, is greatly appreciated.  
Please contact Fundraising@schmitzparkpta.org with questions regarding donating to Schmitz Park. Click here to make a gift online

Mariners Update – fantastic success!

We had our biggest turn-out ever to the event this year, and even got to see the Mariners extend their winning streak!

If you were there or not there’s a few things you should know

1) They missed our call out in the Welcome section, yet made up for it with an extra special message as you can see in this picture

Mariners Welcome Schmitz Park Elementary
Mariners Welcome Schmitz Park Elementary

 

 

 

 

2) Congratulations to Dorienne Raynolds for selling the most tickets – please look out for your prize

3) A hilarious shout out to Robert Ruvkun (and family) for your awesome dancing that was captured on the big screen! If you missed it, here’s a link to a previous camera moment of his

4) We are very happy to say we raised over $2k from this event and had a lot of fun doing it.

5)  Be sure to join us next year!

 

Donations Accepted

Your 2013 Donations are Tax Deductible

Your 2013 Tax Deductions
As an incorporated Washington State non profit, donations to the Schmitz Park PTA are tax deductible. This is good news, especially at this time of year when April is fast approaching. However, this does not mean that all funds received by the PTA are tax deductible. For example, your PTA membership is not tax deductible as you get something for your funds ie you get membership into the PTA. The same would be true for a Movie Night event or participating in the After School Enrichment program. Funds that are tax deductible include donations to the One Campaign, Move-a-Thon, and portions of the Auction. Let me describe further.

One Campaign
This is our first call to action of the school year, and the one that best helps the students, teachers, and staff at Schmitz Park Elementary. Our goal is to raise $30,000 in the One Campaign, and yet it only costs of $200 to advertise, leaving over 99% of those donations to help the school directly. All donations to the One Campaign are 100% tax deductible, and are included in the letter that we sent to families. Most of these donations come to us electronically through PayPal, and are easy to track.

Move-A-Thon
This is fun Fall event where we get the kids outside running laps and raising funds. The classes that earned the most also got a popsicle party, which is often all the incentive elementary school students need (I’m not sure I like this sentence). Several area businesses sponsor this event, and the kids wear their shirts with pride throughout the year. Like the One Campaign, 100% of your donations are tax deductible, and are included in the letter we sent to families. Unlike the One Campaign, very few of these donations come electronically. We have a committee of dedicated parents who count up all the loose change, checks, and IOUs and report the totals to the PTA. Please note that IOUs are unfortunately not tax deductible. The Feds are sticklers about that.

Auction
Each year, roughly 20% of the Schmitz Park community gathers for a fun filled evening of merriment and running up their credit cards to support our children. We run this event through a separate financial program designed to be used with auctions. Each attendee receives an email after the auction detailing out the amount of money donated, and how much is deductible. This can be quite challenging to calculate. The admission ticket is not deductible, as you get dinner and entertainment for those dollars. Additionally, money spend on drinks, LED Martini glasses, and raffles is also not deductible, as you “get something” for those purchases.When you participate in Raise the Paddle or the desert dash, those are considered “donations” and fully deductible.

If you were lucky enough to win an item, only the amount you paid above the value of the gift is deductible. Let’s say you purchased a brand new copy of Microsoft Office, retail value $250, for $75. That is a great deal! Of course, the $75 does go to help the PTA, but is not considered tax deductible. Had you run up that auction to $350, though, then the extra $100 would be deductible. Do you see how that works? Our auction software calculates this number for us, and sends the details to the attendees directly. This information is not included in the letter we sent. Therefore, if you were one of the 20% attending the auction, who also donated to the One Campaign / Move-a-thon, you will have two notices from the Schmitz Park PTA.

A few final thoughts
We don’t yet have a system where we know who is married to whom, who is filing their taxes jointly, etc. If you and your partner each made donations to the school, it is possible that you will be receiving two letters from us.

I hope this helps clarify what is, and isn’t, included in the tax letters you received. If you have any questions, please email our Vice President, Joe Turcotte.

-Ed Hansen
Treasurer@schmitzparkpta.org

Take Part in Holiday Donation Drives

Two important holiday drives this happening last week before break, please take part:

Food Drive: 3rd graders are collecting non-perishable food for Northwest Harvest. Drop your canned goods at the front office.

Northwest Harvest Org

 

 

 

 


Coat Drive
: 4th graders are collecting gently used kid’s coats for Westside Baby’s Candy Cane Coat Drive. Together we can help make sure our whole community gets to have a healthy and warm holiday!

Coat Drive

Help Needed with Holiday Canned Food Drive

Donate Canned Goods Today

Our Canned Food Drive is off to a slow start. With your help we hope it will gain momentum this week & end in a crescendo on Monday, December 16th.

We want to help children develop an awareness of need, and how our generosity can make a difference to others. All donations are gratefully accepted in the bins by the front doors of the school.

Thank you in advance, from the Third Grade Cohort.